A California native transplanted in southern Illinois.Well, what a crazy couple of weeks it has been. The Mosquito Fire started small, then a few days in there was a very windy day and it grew exponentially. It was about 2.5 miles north of us and 1 mile east of us, with nothing in between but dry timber. The situation changed FAST. Our area was evacuated. I was at work when it happened. SB sent me this picture, taken from our little front yard just as he was leaving:
I thought for sure that our place was going to burn. However, a CalFire crew did a big dozer line just to the east of us, and it held. We got SO lucky. 
As it happened, we had been asked to house sit for some friends about 30 miles away. We had declined to stay there for their entire vacation, but agreed to stay there some nights. Well, we ended up staying the whole time. Again, we were so lucky. We did not have to pay for a single night of lodging.
Meanwhile, I started my new job while we were evacuated. It was hard to focus while we were waiting to see what the fire would do. This is my third week and all is going well so far. I am really enjoying it, but it is a big change of focus for me. I work in a beautiful building, with offices centered around a big atrium. It is such a pleasure to enjoy this space. Here is a picture I snapped while sitting at my desk:
October 1st, 2022 at 01:55 am 1664589349
October 1st, 2022 at 06:59 am 1664607558
October 1st, 2022 at 10:16 pm 1664662603
I'm glad the fire was contained and you are safe. How scary!
October 2nd, 2022 at 06:23 pm 1664735021